Department for Transport

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide further funding to local authorities to tackle potholes in England.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Department for Transport is allocating £6.6 billion between 2015/16 and 2020/21 to local highway authorities for local highway maintenance funding, including £296 million from the Pothole Action Fund, for the repair of potholes or to stop them forming. Further funding will be subject to the Spending Review.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Pakistan: Minority Groups

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter sent by 50 members of the European Parliament to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 30 April warning that continued violation of theUN Treaty on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rightsin respect of the treatment of Pakistan’s minorities may compel the EU Parliament to call on the European Commission to suspend all subsidies and trade preferences to Pakistan; and whether they are considering taking similar action.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware of the open letter to Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, in which EU Parliamentarians express concerns about the persecution of minorities and highlight the link to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).The British Government urges Pakistan to make human rights reforms in line with the relevant UN conventions, and to fully cooperate with the EU in the GSP+ process. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Human Rights Minister during my visit to Pakistan in February 2019. At the UN Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan in November 2017, the UK pressed Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities and to explain the steps being taken to tackle the abuse of the blasphemy laws.

Daphne Caruana Galizia

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assurancesthey have (1) sought, and (2) received from the government of Malta that they will establish an independent public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Maltese Government has provided reassurances both in public and private that all efforts are being made to ensure justice will be served in this case. The Maltese Government have made clear that they will not consider a public enquiry while judicial processes are ongoing. The British Government respects this decision and awaits the outcome of investigations.

Papua: Journalism

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last raised with the government of Indonesia access by journalists to West Papua; and what assessment they have made of the dangers facing local journalists who have reported on human rights violations in West Papua.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: President Jokowi made clear his intention to allow free access for foreign journalists to Papua when he announced the lifting of the ban in May 2015. A number of foreign journalists have since gained access to report on the region. Unfortunately it seems some elements of the Government have been slow to respond to President Jokowi’s wishes. We continue to receive reports that journalists face difficulties in securing visas and restrictions on free reporting.In January 2018, I raised my concern on this issue with the Indonesian ambassador to London, and officials in Indonesia also raised this when they visited Papua in February 2019. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific acknowledged at a Westminster Hall Debate on 8 May 2019 that transparency and media access are important. We continue to encourage Indonesian journalists to write openly and frankly about Papua to ensure that local perspectives are properly heard and are part of any debate.Our Embassy in Jakarta is very active in promoting press freedom. To mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2019 the Embassy arranged a full programme of activities to celebrate the work of journalists, media organisations and regulators. Indonesia will also be invited to the global Media Freedoms event in July, which the UK is co-hosting with Canada, which will promote the importance of media freedom and aim to adopt a more co-ordinated approach to securing the safety of media professionals.

Indonesia: Arms Trade

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Indonesia to ensure that British-supplied arms are not used for internal repression in West Papua.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK takes its arms export responsibilities seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. We do not export equipment where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used for internal repression.We follow the situation in Papua closely. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific set out our concerns about violence in Papua and reports of alleged human rights violations by the security forces at a Westminster Hall debate on 8 May. The Minister raised concerns about the situation in Papua with the Indonesian Ambassador earlier this year. We will continue to press the Indonesian authorities to strengthen their human rights protections.​

Papua: Journalism

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatrepresentations they have made to the government of Indonesia aboutlifting the ban on foreign journalists visiting West Papua.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: President Jokowi made clear his intention to allow free access for foreign journalists to Papua when he announced the lifting of the ban in May 2015. A number of foreign journalists have since gained access to report on the region. Unfortunately it seems some elements of the Government have been slow to respond to President Jokowi’s wishes. We continue to receive reports that journalists face difficulties in securing visas and restrictions on free reporting.In January 2018, I raised my concern on this issue with the Indonesian ambassador to London, and officials in Indonesia also raised this when they visited Papua in February 2019. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific acknowledged at a Westminster Hall Debate on 8 May 2019 that transparency and media access are important. We continue to encourage Indonesian journalists to write openly and frankly about Papua to ensure that local perspectives are properly heard and are part of any debate.Our Embassy in Jakarta is very active in promoting press freedom. To mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2019 the Embassy arranged a full programme of activities to celebrate the work of journalists, media organisations and regulators. Indonesia will also be invited to the global Media Freedoms event in July, which the UK is co-hosting with Canada, which will promote the importance of media freedom and aim to adopt a more co-ordinated approach to securing the safety of media professionals.

Department of Health and Social Care

Nusinersen

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) NICE, (2) NHS England, and (3) Biogen, on a Managed Access Agreement for Spinal Muscular Atrophy treatment, Spinraza.

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate that NICE will publish the outcome of the NICE Evaluation Committee meeting held on 6 March.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Departmental officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England about a range of issues, including progress in discussions about a potential managed access agreement for Spinraza (nusinersen). Ministers have also held meetings with Biogen, NICE and NHS England on a number of occasions, at which the availability of Spinraza was discussed.NHS England and NICE have made stakeholders and the public aware of the outcome of its appraisal committee meeting and NICE is now able to recommend the use of Spinraza for National Health Service patients in England, subject to a managed access agreement agreed between NHS England and Biogen. The final appraisal document will be published in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Beavers

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the introduction of beavers in the UK; and of the risk of flooding as a result of their introduction.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is engaged with a number of projects to further our understanding of the impact of beavers on the environment and flooding. We also maintain contact with the Scottish Government to learn from its experience on the River Tay. The trial reintroduction of beavers on the River Otter in Devon, which started in 2015, will conclude in 2020. The latest annual report from this trial, undertaken by the Devon Wildlife Trust, highlights assessments made on water flows and flood risks. Defra will assess the River Otter trial in 2020 and will seek advice from Natural England. The Forestry Commission is currently undertaking two enclosed trial releases which will contribute to our understanding of the impacts of beavers on water flow and surrounding ecology. The Environment Agency is working with a number of projects that are gathering evidence from beaver trial sites to improve our understanding of the opportunities and implications for flood risk management. Natural England and the Environment Agency are working with the University of Exeter to understand how beavers affect water flow in rivers. The results of these trials will inform decisions on future reintroductions of beavers in England

Hill Farming

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to hill farmers.

lord gardiner of kimble: Upland farmers are eligible to receive payments under the Common Agricultural Policy's Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). We will pay Direct Payments for the 2019 scheme year on the same basis as for 2018 and plan to allocate the money paid in Direct Payments for 2020 in much the same way that we do now. Upland farmers can also apply for a Countryside Stewardship agreement, and many receive support through Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship. The current round of Countryside Stewardship is open for applications until 31 July. This includes a specific Wildlife offer for Upland farmers. Capital grants are also available through the Hedgerow and Boundaries grant, which closed for applications on 3 May. The Government has also pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of the Parliament, expected in 2022. The figure includes all EU and Exchequer funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2. Furthermore, all Pillar 2 agreements signed by 31 December 2020 will be funded for their lifetime.

Home Office

Jamal Khashoggi

baroness kennedy of the shaws: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have frozen the assets of, and barred visas for, those Saudi nationals and their family members who have been identified as having been involved in, or as having been accessories to, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

baroness williams of trafford: Asset Freezing is the responsibility of the FCO and HM Treasury, information on individuals whose assets have been frozen can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-financial-sanctions-implementation.The Government has a long-established practice of not routinely commenting on the details of individual immigration cases.

Northern Ireland Office

Absent Voting: Northern Ireland

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many registered voters applied for proxy votes in each local governmentdistrictin Northern Ireland elections on 2 May; and what percentage of the (1) total electorate, and (2) votes cast, that represents in each of those districts.

lord duncan of springbank: The information below has been provided by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. The table shows how many proxy votes were applied for in each local government district for the local elections in Northern Ireland on 2 May and what this represents as a percentage of (a) the total electorate and (b) the votes polled in each of those districts. Local CouncilTotal ProxyEligible Electorate*% Eligible ElectorateTotal Votes Polled*% Votes PolledAntrim and Newtownabbey20598,8990.21%48,5260.42%Ards and North Down150116,5360.13%50,8660.29%Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon414147,9770.28%79,3090.52%Belfast1533224,6280.68%114,6641.34%Causeway Coast and Glens57598,9300.58%51,2121.12%Derry and Strabane1174107,9751.09%61,7981.90%Fermanagh and Omagh160184,3131.90%52,6203.04%Lisburn and Castlereagh127102,1510.12%50,7470.25%Mid and East Antrim22798,4100.23%47,3830.48%Mid Ulster1090100,2381.09%60,1801.81%Newry Mourne and Down986125,4960.79%70,4281.40%Totals80821,305,553-687,733- *Source: https://www.eoni.org.uk/getmedia/8b059a6e-c7bc-4644-ae35-9dbf293d0665/Local-Council-Elections-2019-Turnout-final

Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the proposal by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 19 March (HL Deb, col 1408) that the Department of the Economy Northern Ireland would establish a unit under independent chairmanship, to examine the case of every individual who has received funds from the Renewable Heat Incentive initiative and believes they have experienced hardship, whether that proposal has been implemented; if so, who has been appointed as chairman; what appointment criteria were applied to any such appointment; and whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland discussed this appointment with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of the Economy Northern Ireland.

lord duncan of springbank: The Department for the Economy has undertaken to set up an RHI Hardship Unit. They repeated this commitment during their evidence session to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on 8th May. Given the complexities and skill-sets required, the Department is currently considering an independent panel rather than just an independent chair. As this is a devolved matter it will be for the Department for the Economy to set the necessary criteria, and ensure that the Hardship Unit is made up of suitably qualified and independent members. The Department plans for the panel to have its first sitting by the end of the summer.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

5G

lord griffiths of burry port: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of facilitating flexible use of the 5G spectrum by community and independent networks in areas where it is allocated to mobile operators but remains unused.

lord griffiths of burry port: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Ofcom about the allocation of the 3.6–3.8GHz 5G spectrum band; and what steps they have taken to ensure the band is accessible in areas outside the mobile operators’ rollout plans.

lord griffiths of burry port: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of a dynamic model of spectrum allocation for 5G network coverage in rural communities.

lord ashton of hyde: Government has regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of subjects, including 5G spectrum bands (including 3.6-3.8 GHz band). Government supports Ofcom's recent consultation document on ‘Enabling Opportunities for Innovation’ and is continuing to engage with stakeholders on the potential impact of a dynamic, flexible spectrum sharing model. In February the Government published a consultation on its Statement of Strategic Priorities which reaffirms our support for flexible shared spectrum models and the release of additional public sector spectrum are some of Government’s strategic priorities. This is key to helping unlock new 5G use cases and enabling innovative solutions to connectivity challenges, including improving connectivity in rural areas.